The once-in-a-lifetime pandemic drove Congress and two presidential administrations to approve $69 billion in Covid relief for higher education with the highest amount, more than $9.5 billion, for California colleges and universities.
Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded financial aid, but experts and activists hope for more progress in the coming year to help students cover non-tuition costs.
The budget provides an increase to 41,000 Cal Grants for older students to pay tuition. Advocates say more help is needed and hope for bigger reforms next year.
Forty-four percent of adults approved of the way Newsom is handling his new job, 23 percent disapproved. Newsom’s support was strongest in his home San Francisco Bay area (52 percent),lowest in the Inland Empire (36 percent).
Higher education experts expect Newsom to be more generous to academia than Gov. Brown. New funding and expansion of free community college tuition are anticipated.
